I’m sure they would have kept my money if I’d lost with those later bets

Gary Waller

When Gary Waller was handed three cheques from a successful night’s gambling, he spent all his £15,000 savings the next day paying off his daughter’s college debts.

But he was horrified when the Rendezvous Casino cancelled the payouts.

The casino said Gary’s entire night’s winning bets were invalid because one of the wins, worth just £400, came after he placed his chips down too late.

Gary claims that a croupier and pit boss had discussed whether he should be paid out, before deciding to give him the money.

He went on to play the wheel for another two hours and eventually won £29,000.

During the night the Brighton casino did not raise any objections and three cheques were made out to Gary.

He was even treated to a bottle of bubbly.

In return he handed over £1,400 in tips. The next morning he paid off his daughter’s debts and planned a world cruise.

But Gary, who had been going to Rendezvous ever since it opened, was stunned when he tried to go back into the casino the following night.

The manager banned him from entering and told him he was under investigation.

Gary was told he had to go to the casino’s head offi ce in London and that his winnings had been cancelled.

Gary, 50, said: “I couldn’t believe it. They’d been happy for me to keep gambling all night and when I won they had treated me like a king.

“What is outrageous is they haven’t just cancelled the £400 I won on the disputed spin, they have cancelled all of it.

“I’m sure they would have kept my money if I’d lost with those later bets.”

Gary, of Newhaven, East Sussex, has issued a writ at the High Court for £188,000.

He is demanding his £30,400 winnings and tips back plus money for interest, his expenses, defamation and slander.

He also claims the casino breached the 2005 Gaming Act.

Gary claims key CCTV footage is missing.

He said: “I went to a solicitor and the casino company has shown us the CCTV footage of what happened around the £400 win.

“But the two table microphones pick up clear sound of everything going on up to the point of the conversations between the croupier and the pit boss and the pit boss and me. Then it goes silent and resumes again after the relevant footage.

“The croupier pays out my winnings but there are 16 seconds of silence over what recording.” Gary added: “They say they held an internal inquiry the day after my win but they won’t give me a copy of it.

“I am saying that is in breach of the Data Protection Act. If I won any money fraudulently they should have called the police.”

Gary agreed at the time that he had laid down his chip shortly after the croupier had called no more bets and offered to forfeit that £400 win.

But the croupier still paid him.

Gary has filed the writ against London Clubs Management Ltd. A spokesman for parent company London Clubs International said: “LCI always assists the police and courts with investigations but directly and not through the Press.”